The Foundation Series: Forward to Foundation and How To Choose

Last week, we introduced the idea that picking a foundation that is going to suit your skin isn't really the easiest quest (although, anyone who has ever worn a foundation will tell you that) and the different types of foundation that exist.

Today, I want to talk about how to narrow all those different kinds of foundation down to things that are more likely to suit you. Now, this is going to be a rough guide - of course you don't have to strictly follow it. Rules are made to be broken and you could just be a wee anomaly that defies all conventions but it is useful to have the knowledge to help deduce which kinds of foundations to go for. All mediums of foundation can suit all skin types, there's no rules, just guides.

Let's Sherlock this shit!

Oily Skin

Oily skin can be a pain in the arse when trying to find a product that will actually last more than 5 minutes on the skin. While you can go for liquids and creams you might have a lot of luck with minerals and powders as the natural excess of oil turns minerals, in particular, into a beautiful creamy finish on the skin. If you're going for a liquid or cream, something with a matte or satin finish is best as it'll look dewy as the day goes on rather than oily. Matte finishes make it easier to control the oil and you'll not have as much of a bother of caking up as a normal or dry skin would. You can use a dewy foundation but you run the risk of looking like a disco ball and caking the skin with too much powder. 

Normal

Normal skin is the easiest to buy for. All you have to do is pick a finish and a medium to work with and batter on in!

Dry

Dry skin can be just as hard as oily skin to figure out. In general, water based foundations and emollient creams are best for drier skin because if you haven't got on top of your skincare then powders and minerals can look a bit dry and ageing. Of course you can go for a powder but I really wouldn't suggest it unless you are mixing it with water but in that case, it's easier to buy a liquid or cream. So in general, it's better to go for wet things, not dry.

Combination

Now, combination skin can mean anything. It can be a oily/normal, oily/dry, dry/normal etc. and this probably fits the majority of people out there. The best way to do this is decide on what is the most problematic area of the face, in my case (oily/normal) it's my T-zone that's super oily so I use a foundation that sets so that I'm not having to powder too much to retain a dewy finish that complements my more normal skin. 

The trick is to pick the area that hardest to control. If you have super dry cheeks but an oilier T-zone then pick a foundation that doesn't make the dry patches look awful and powder the T-zone down with a good mattifying powder. If you have the money and the time then it is entirely possible to buy two different foundations in order to get the look you want but, if I'm honest, that's expensive and a little unneeded. Ain't no one got time for that shit.

Unless you do then go ahead!

You might be wondering why I haven't included things like sensitive skin or mature skin. There's a simple reason: they are not skin types in the same way the list above is. You don't have either oily, normal, dry, sensitive or mature skin. Sensitive and mature are states and conditions of the skin. I have ridiculously sensitive skin but that doesn't negate the fact my T-zone looks like the BP oil spill at the end of the day. Those are things that make the search harder but only you (should) know what makes you break out or dries out your skin more. Makeup is a temporary fix, not a long term solution. You should be tackling your skin issues with skincare and covering over with makeup.

And that concludes this guide to how to start picking a foundation that is good for you. Next week, I'm going in depth on different Liquids and how there are thousands of foundations in this category that can suit any skin type.

xx